Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yoyukon’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Yoyukon’, characterized by its uniform and upright plant habit; strong growth habit; dark green-colored foliage; uniform flowering response and habit; best grown unpinched and as a disbud-type; early flowering habit; decorative incurve-type inflorescences; white-colored ray florets; and good postproduction longevity with plants maintaining good substance and color for about three weeks in an interior environment.

Botanical designation: Chrysanthemum×morifolium.

Cultivar denomination: ‘Yoyukon’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Yoyukon’.

The new Chrysanthemum is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Salinas, Calif. and Alva, Fla. The objective of the program is to create or discover new potted Chrysanthemum cultivars that are suitable for year-round production with uniform plant growth habit, good vigor and strong branching habit, numerous inflorescences, desirable inflorescence form and floret colors, fast and uniform flowering response, and good postproduction longevity.

The new Chrysanthemum originated from a cross-pollination made in November, 1999 in Salinas, Calif., of a proprietary selection of Chrysanthemum×morifolium identified as code number YB-4699, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary selection of Chrysanthemum×morifolium identified as code number YB-4976, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination grown in a controlled environment in Alva. Fla. in November, 2000. The selection of this plant was based on its uniform plant growth habit, good vigor and strong branching habit, desirable inflorescence form and floret colors, fast and uniform flowering response, and good postproduction longevity.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum by vegetative tip cuttings was first conducted in Alva, Fla. in March, 2001. Asexual reproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Yoyukon has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength, and/or light level, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Yoyukon’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Yoyukon’ as a new and distinct Chrysanthemum:

-   -   1. Uniform and upright spreading plant habit.     -   2. Strong growth habit.     -   3. Dark green-colored foliage.     -   4. Uniform flowering response and habit.     -   5. Best grown unpinched and as a disbud-type.     -   6. Early flowering, eight week response time.     -   7. Large decorative incurve-type inflorescences.     -   8. White-colored ray florets.     -   9. Good postproduction longevity with plants maintaining good         substance and color for about three weeks in an interior         environment.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the female parent selection. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants of the female parent selection primarily in ray floret coloration as plants of the female parent selection have pink-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the male parent selection. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants of the male parent selection primarily in floret formation as plants of the male parent selection have disc florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the cultivar Yokodiak, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,997. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Yokodiak in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had larger inflorescences         than plants of the cultivar Yokodiak.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and the cultivar Yokodiak         differed in inflorescence form as plants of the cultivar         Yokodiak had decorative quilled-type inflorescences.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Chrysanthemum showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Chrysanthemum.

The photograph of the first sheet comprises a side perspective view of typical flowering plants of ‘Yoyukon’ grown as disbud-types.

The photograph on the second sheet comprises a close-up view of a typical inflorescence of ‘Yoyukon’ grown as disbud-types.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The aforementioned photographs, following observations and measurements describe plants grown and flowered during the spring in Salinas, Calif., in a fiberglass-covered greenhouse and under conditions which approximate those generally used in commercial potted Chrysanthemum production. During the production of these plants, the following conditions were measured: day temperatures, 21° C. to 27° C.; night temperatures, 17° C. to 19° C.; and light levels, 5,000 to 6,000 foot-candles. Four unrooted cuttings were directly stuck in 15-cm containers and exposed to long day/short night conditions. About two weeks later, the photoinductive short day/long night treatments were initiated. Plants used for the description were grown as disbud-types. Measurements and numerical values represent averages of typical flowering plants.

-   Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Yoyukon. -   Commercial classification: Decorative incurve-type potted     Chrysanthemum. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of             Chrysanthemum×morifolium identified as code number YB-4699,             not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary selection of             Chrysanthemum×morifolium identified as code number YB-4976,             not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal tip cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots.—About four days at 21° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted cutting.—About ten days at 21° C.         -   Root description.—Fibrous; white, close to 155D, in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; moderately dense. -   Plant description:     -   -   Appearance.—Herbaceous decorative incurve-type potted             Chrysanthemum that is best grown unpinched and as a             disbud-type. Upright and uniformly mounded crown; strong             growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 27.5 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 32 cm.         -   Peduncles.—Length: About 22.5 cm. Diameter: About 3.5 mm.             Internode length: About 1.2 cm. Strength: Strong. Texture:             Pubescent. Color: Close to 146A.         -   Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate; simple. Length:             About 8.3 cm. Width: About 6 cm. Apex: Mucronate. Base:             Truncate. Margin: Palmately lobed, sinuses between lateral             lobes parallel to convergent. Texture, upper and lower             surfaces: Pubescent. Color: Developing and fully expanded             foliage, upper surface: Darker green than 147A. Developing             and fully expanded foliage, lower surface: Close to 147B.             Venation, upper surface: Close to 147A. Venation, lower             surface: 146A to 147B. Petiole length: About 2.75 cm.             Petiole diameter: About 3 mm. Petiole texture, upper and             lower surfaces: Pubescent. Petiole color, upper and lower             surfaces: Close to 146A. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Decorative incurve-type inflorescence form.             Inflorescences borne on terminals above foliage. Disk and             ray florets develop acropetally on a capitulum.             Inflorescences not fragrant.         -   Flowering response.—Under natural conditions, plants flower             in the autumn/winter in the Northern Hemisphere. At other             times of the year, inflorescence initiation and development             can be induced under short day/long night conditions (at             least 13.5 hours of darkness). Uniform and early flowering             habit; plants exposed to two weeks of long day/short night             conditions followed by photoinductive short day/long night             conditions flower about eight weeks later.         -   Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color             and substance for about three weeks in an interior             environment.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—Grown as a disbud-type, only one             inflorescence is allowed to develop per lateral branch.         -   Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 7.5 mm. Diameter: About             8 mm. Shape: Oblate. Color: Close to 146A.         -   Inflorescence diameter.—Large, about 12.5 cm.         -   Inflorescence height.—About 4.9 cm.         -   Diameter of disc.—No disc florets observed.         -   Receptacle diameter.—About 1.3 cm.         -   Receptacle height.—About 9 mm.         -   Ray florets.—Length: About 6.5 cm. Length, corolla tube:             About 4.5 cm. Width, apex: About 8 mm. Width, corolla tube:             About 4 mm. Shape: Quilled. Apex: Acute or emarginate. Base:             Fused into a corolla tube. Margin: Entire. Orientation:             Incurved. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth,             glabrous; satiny. Number of ray florets per inflorescence:             About 355 arranged in numerous whorls. Color: When opening             and fully opened, upper surface: Close to 155D. When opening             and fully opened, lower surface: Close to 155D.         -   Phyllaries.—Quantity per inflorescence: About 30 arranged in             about three whorls. Length: About 9 mm. Width: About 4 mm.             Shape: Lanceolate. Apex: Acute. Base: Truncate. Margin:             Entire. Texture, upper surface: Waxy, smooth. Texture, lower             surface: Pubescent. Color, upper and lower surfaces: Close             to 146A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Not observed on ray             florets. Gynoecium: Present on ray florets. Style length:             About 6.5 mm. Style color: Close to 144C. Stigma color:             Close to 9A.         -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production has not been observed. -   Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to     Chrysanthemums has not been observed on plants grown under     commercial greenhouse conditions. 

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yoyukon’, as illustrated and described. 